Intergenerational Music Making
1661. Charlotte Miller
Charlotte Miller, from Woking, is a music therapist who set up ‘Intergenerational Music Making’, an initiative bringing together local schools, care homes, colleges, hospitals and universities to create music therapy projects to improve the lives of those living with dementia, improve wellbeing, mental health, tackle loneliness and help integrate local communities.
‘Intergenerational Music Making’ specialises in running music therapy projects, training, workshops and events which bring together children and students with older people, particularly care home residents and people living with dementia, for whom music has a unique ability to connect with memory and improve wellbeing. With many of their activities restricted following the Coronavirus outbreak, Charlotte launched in December 2020 an online platform, ‘Together with Music’, in a partnership between ‘Intergenerational Music Making’ and ‘Care England’, to combat lockdown loneliness and keep children and older people connected through virtual workshops and performances. So far, more than 35,000 individuals have engaged with the platform, with over 2,800 minutes of music shared between people.
In a personal letter to Charlotte, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said:
“Congratulations on the success of ‘Intergenerational Music Making’, your brilliant initiative which has brought together over 700 care home residents with 1,500 school children to tackle loneliness through music.
“With virtual workshops and performances, you kept those most at risk of isolation connected during lockdown. You have also transcended the boundaries of age and forged lasting friendships across the generations.”
Charlotte said:
“I am completely honoured and overwhelmed in receiving this award. A huge thanks really must go to the amazing ‘Intergenerational Music Making’ and ‘Together with Music’ team who over the last 18 months have been working tirelessly on our national flagship programme ‘Together with Music’, aiming to tackle loneliness and isolation by building meaningful connections between generations through the power of music for mutual benefit. To date we have over 35,000 individuals engaging with ‘Together with Music’ and as we emerge from the pandemic we are determined to bring generations back together and unite the nation in shared intergenerational music making, all the while elevating the profile of the arts in the UK.”